Jan 12, 2009 5:44 pm US/Mountain
McDaniels Agrees To 4 Year Contract With Broncos
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By Pat Graham, AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) ―
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Josh McDaniels arrives in Denver just before being announced as the new head coach of the Denver Broncos.
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The man who ran the New England Patriots' high-scoring offense is taking over as coach of the Denver Broncos, charged with revitalizing a team that failed to make the playoffs the past three seasons.
Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' 32-year-old offensive coordinator, agreed to a four-year deal to replace Mike Shanahan, who was fired Dec. 30 after 14 seasons with a 146-91 record.
McDaniels will be introduced at a news conference at team headquarters Monday night in Denver, which was hit by an overnight snowstorm.
He'll take over an already potent offense, led by quarterback Jay Cutler and receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, that's looking to return the Broncos to prominence. Shanahan, known as "The Mastermind" for his creativity on offense, won two Super Bowls in his first four seasons but won just one playoff game in the decade since John Elway retired.
McDaniels' credentials include guiding the record-setting offense that led New England to 18 straight victories last season before a stunning loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. That team scored an NFL-record 75 touchdowns and 589 points.
McDaniels is known for his creative play calling and game plans -- just as Shanahan was when he took over the team in 1995 at the age of 42.
Denver went 8-8 this season and became the first team in NFL history to blow a three-game divisional lead with three weeks left. Shanahan was fired 48 hours later, with three years and $21 million left on his contract.
McDaniels' stock soared with the Patriots, where he quickly ascended from personnel assistant in the scouting department to offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick.
Last season, under McDaniels' tutelage, Tom Brady threw for a record 50 touchdowns, and the coach drew even more praise this past season when the Patriots lost Brady to a knee injury in the opener and Matt Cassel -- a quarterback who hadn't started a game since high school -- came on to lead the Patriots to an 11-5 record.
While McDaniels inherits a high-octane offense, he'll also be receiving a dismal defense in need of yet another overhaul. That's why it was believed a defensive mind might have had the inside track to the job, someone like the New York Giants' Steve Spagnuolo or Minnesota's Leslie Frazier.
The other candidates for Shanahan's job were Raheem Morris of Tampa Bay, Rick Dennison of Denver, Jason Garrett of Dallas and Todd Bowles of Miami.
The new coach won't have as much power as Shanahan, who had final authority on just about everything as vice president of football operations. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said he'll begin searching for a general manager after he hires his coach.
Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley was simultaneously watching an episode of "The Wire" on his DVD player and ESPN when the news scrolled across the bottom of his television Sunday night.
He's a bit shocked the Broncos suddenly have a new coach. He figured it would be later this week -- at the earliest.
"It's going to be interesting to see what happens," Stokley said. "I hope we can keep some of our offensive coaches and keep the continuity that we built last year."
AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.
Official Team News Release
The Denver Broncos released the following statement on Monday morning.
The Denver Broncos on Monday will introduce Josh McDaniels as head coach at a 5 p.m. MST press conference at their training facility, President/CEO Pat Bowlen announced.
The 32-year-old McDaniels has agreed to a four-year contract to become the 12th head coach in Broncos history.
McDaniels spent the last eight seasons (2001-08) on the coaching staff of the New England Patriots, helping the franchise win three Super Bowls, four AFC championships and six division titles en route to posting the NFL's best overall record (111-34 / .766) during that time. He was the Patriots' offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach during the previous three years (2006-08), directing an offense that led the NFL in points per game (28.8) while ranking second in the league in yards per game (370.8) and third in fewest turnovers (63) over that stretch.
McDaniels worked as New England's quarterbacks coach from 2004-05 after serving as a coaching assistant for the club from 2002-03 and as a personnel assistant/coaching assistant in 2001. His coaching career began in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Michigan State University.
Despite a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Tom Brady in Week 1, New England's 2008 offense finished the year with an NFL-best 356 first downs and ranked fifth in the league in yards per game (365.4) under McDaniels. His coaching helped backup quarterback Matt Cassel, who became a starter for the first time since high school, total the eighth-most passing yards (3,693) in the league.
In 2007, McDaniels coached on a Patriots team that was the first in NFL history to post a 16-0 regular-season record and advanced to Super Bowl XLII. McDaniels' offense was one of the most productive in NFL history with the Patriots setting league records for points scored (589 / 36.8 ppg.) and touchdowns (75). Individually, Brady set an NFL single-season record for touchdown passes (50) to earn MVP honors while wide receiver Randy Moss caught the most touchdowns (23) for a season in league annals.
The Patriots won Super Bowls with McDaniels on their staff during the 2001 (XXXVI), '03 (XXXVIII) and '04 (XXXIX) seasons.
McDaniels played quarterback and wide receiver at John Carroll University (University Heights, Ohio) from 1995-98 after finishing his prep career at Canton McKinley High School (Canton, Ohio).
Born on April 22, 1976, in Barberton, Ohio, McDaniels and his wife, Laura, have one son, Jack Thomas, and one daughter, Maddie.
Statement From Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
"Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with. Since joining us eight years ago, Josh performed a variety of roles and excelled in every one of them. Between his work on defense, in scouting, player evaluation and coordinating the offense, Josh is a very well-rounded coach whose outstanding body of work speaks for itself. He is the product of a pure football environment which is evident in his approach to the game. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we thank Josh for tremendous success in New England and congratulate him and the McDaniels family for this most deserving opportunity for advancement."
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(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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